


Our Demons Don't Define Us

by EchoShimmer



Series: Lazarus!Tim AU [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Character Undeath, Depressed Tim Drake, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury, Lazarus Pit (DCU), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Skewed Perspective, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake-centric, maybe not sure yet, not anyone you care about, suicide idealation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28757739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoShimmer/pseuds/EchoShimmer
Summary: Tim Drake might be away from Ra’s al-Ghul, but the battle is far from over.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Everyone, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Ra's al Ghul
Series: Lazarus!Tim AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774183
Comments: 67
Kudos: 260





	1. One way or another (I'm gonna find you)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back, and prepare for a long note as usual. 
> 
> First off, my JL lineup and their pertaining character backgrounds are kind of a makeshift mix of canons and my own random input and isn’t particularly based around accurate backstories/timelines for most of the characters involved. Please just go with it, most of them won’t show up much, hence why none of them are tagged as of yet beyond a general “Justice League” tag. I just feel weird putting anyone in the list that will make one or two brief appearances. Some of the Bats could similarly end up existing more in the background, depending on how the narrative progresses and changes as characters drive it. Everyone not listed now will get tagged as they show up significantly.
> 
> Some of the non-character tags are also similarly dependent on how things progress and what happens naturally. In particular, the “suicide idealation” tag may or may not end up coming into play, but I’m adding it for now since it is present in the current outline as a possibility. Depending on how that comes about, this fic might end up bumped up to a “Mature” rating just to be safe. The “Character Death” tag will become important at the very end, and will not be any of the characters we care about. I will be doing CW’s on each chapter and adjusting tags as we go, so anyone who is worried just keep an eye out for that. Your mental health is important <3.
> 
> CW’s: mentions of IVs/needles/sedatives and previously obtained injuries in the second section
> 
> That’s all I’ve got for now… I hope you all enjoy. See y'all on the other side :)
> 
> \---
> 
> Chapter title from “One Way Or Another”, specifically the cover by Until The Ribbon Breaks

It was a surprisingly rare case that called for all the senior members of the Justice League to convene privately and abruptly. Most of the cases that called for urgency would consist of some sort of emergency summons to every available body, senior members and tangential allies alike. Normal meetings of the Senior Council were pre arranged things, scheduled monthly meetings to go over finances or policy changes and the annual debate over which rising heroes should be offered a spot on their roster. The fact that they were all called together so suddenly indicated a pressing internal matter that couldn’t wait to be addressed, something of a more personal nature than their usual emergencies.

Unfortunately, Batman already had a suspicion as to what he was being summoned to discuss. 

He was also highly suspicious that he might be the only one caught at all by surprise at the “sudden” meeting, if the sudden halt to conversation as soon as he stepped into the room was anything to go by. Practically everyone else was already sitting in their places at the table. Waiting for him.

Tim hadn’t even been rescued more than 24 hours, but apparently the full explanation could wait no longer.

“Batman,” Superman called out, rising to his feet as the black-clad vigilante approached. There was an atypical tension in Clark’s shoulders and facial expression as he subtly scanned Bruce over, apparently not convinced that he escaped the previous day’s battle unscathed. Bruce, in turn, pushed back the dual waves of irritation and warmth at the gesture. Neither would help him here.

“Superman. Everyone,” Batman let his gaze drift over the table’s many occupants. The Founders- Superman, Wonder Woman, and himself- were a given at almost any Justice League meeting. However, one or more of the others were often absent for some reason or another. The Justice League tried not to be too strict about attendance when it wasn’t necessary, since almost all of them were tediously balancing their hero and civilian lives. Conflicts were to be expected. 

Everyone was here this time, though. Green Arrow, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern- the full time members who had been on the team since nearly the beginning in some capacity or another. Black Canary, Zatanna and Captain Marvel- some of the later additions to Senior level status. The Flash was unique in that the name has long been a fixture at the table, though in reality Wally had only fully taken over the position from his uncle around a year ago. He was the newest face present, and the only legacy mask now that Dick has stood down as Batman in Bruce’s stead. As such, his nervousness about this meeting was by far the easiest to read.

“To what do I owe this meeting?” Batman finally asked when no one dared make the first move. “I was not made aware of any scheduled gatherings until less than an hour ago, and as I’m sure you are all well aware I have more important matters to tend to at the moment.”  _ That _ made them all flinch a bit, some more so than others. As much as it rankled on Bruce to be there, at least he was getting a bit of entertainment out of this.

“Yes, it was rather a last minute decision to meet today, but it was deemed urgent enough that we could not wait,” Wonder Woman said smoothly, cutting through the tension as only she could. Superman sat back in his chair, seceding easily to her takeover of the situation. “In fact, it has quite a bit to do with your…  _ important matters _ , as you said it.”

“So I’ve deduced,” Batman said gruffly, finally giving in and rather roughly, for him, dropping into his own chair. “If you could all just get on with your questions about the situation, then. I would appreciate hurrying this along.”

“Fair enough,” Superman agreed. “Let’s begin with a review of the known facts of the situation, the information that we have already, and you can fill us in with more detail as we go.” At Batman’s barely-there nod and the room’s muddled sound of general agreement, Superman pressed a few buttons to activate the holodisplays and send the related files to everyone for individual viewing. Bruce only glanced down briefly at his screen, tearing his gaze away after being met by the image of a young, smiling Robin. Tim. His chest grew ever so slightly tighter even as Wonder Woman started talking.

“Timothy Drake-Wayne was the third individual to hold the title as Batman’s partner, Robin, claiming the title at thirteen following the death of his predecessor. The exact details of how he came to take over the role are irreverent at this time. Timothy held the position more or less continuously for the next four years, allying himself with various teams throughout that time, most notably Young Justice and the renewed Teen Titans, both of which he led for a period of time. His strength has always laid in his intelligence and strategic ability, though over the years he has made a name for himself as a not insignificant fighter, having taken part in various Justice League level missions and taken out countless major threats in Gotham and beyond.”

Batman grunted slightly. This was all just unnecessary background knowledge. Everyone here was trusted enough to know the Bats’ civilian identities, and had been around for long enough to have heard the stories of how the Bats came together, if they hadn’t been distantly present themselves for the duration. This was at best only loosely important to the matter at hand, but more importantly it was a waste of time to rehash. Everyone glanced up at the man, studying his mood with varying levels of uncertainty, before Superman took up the thread of the tale and they all refocused.

“Approximately thirteen months ago Batman, Bruce Wayne, was assumed dead following the battle against Darkseid. This came at the tail end of a string of personal losses in Tim’s life. Less than a month after the presumed death, when criminal activity in Gotham began to spike following the Bat’s disappearance, the first Robin, Dick Grayson, currently known as Nightwing, reluctantly took over the mantle as Batman. He and Tim worked together as partners for less than a week before Dick abruptly made the decision to install Damian Wayne, Bruce’s youngest and recently discovered son, as the newest Robin. Timothy turned seventeen only days later, and within another week he had departed Gotham. Does that sound correct so far, Batman?”

“Yes,” Batman grumbled reluctantly, “Though the brief account does not accurately convey the emotional stress my entire family was under during that time period.”

“Yes, of course they were,” Superman agreed sympathetically. “We were all extremely devastated by your presumed loss at the time, Bruce. We were all grieving at the time, your family most of all. That was never a question here.”

“Hmm,” was all Batman said, permission enough to continue on with the recounting of the past year. He almost regretted that choice when Green Arrow took over the next segment.

“Tim Drake had a theory that Batman wasn’t dead, but was rather lost in the timestream following Darkseid’s final attack. At the time, considering everything that had occurred as of late alongside the lack of evidence to his claim, Drake was assumed to be lost in grief. Some sort of mental breakdown. There was attempted intervention recorded by Grayson, a Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Sandsmark, one of Drake’s former team members, but no one succeeded in convincing him to stand down. The Robin mantle was transferred around this time period as well. Shortly afterwards, Drake disappeared on his own on a mission to prove himself right alone, against all advisement.”

“He was right, though,” Batman growled at the implied judgement there. It rankled that most of the hero community had spread such rumors about his children in his absence, and that his obvious return had only  _ mostly _ , not completely, squashed those perceptions. Now that he was no longer distracted by tracking Tim’s movements, Batman would be sure to take time to squash those remaining rumors whenever possible.

“Yes, we are all very aware of that fact now, Bruce,” Oliver defended himself, “but at the time you can see how we came to the conclusions we did.” Batman quickly opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say anything Black Canary shot a targeted look at both her husband and Batman, promptly cutting off further escalation. She took over the next portion.

“The information about Tim’s movements over the following year is sparse. He knew how to cover his tracks, he didn’t want to be found. At some point, rumors started circulating through communication channels that an ex-Bat was working with the League of Assassins, though at that point nothing was concrete. Bruce returned to his family in Gotham approximately four months ago, and he was the first to confirm Tim’s alliance with Ra’s al-Ghul. Sightings picked up swiftly following that event, as did the news that Tim had been named the Demon’s Heir. Tim was reported as taking part in multiple missions over the following months, some of which resulted in structural damages or deaths, though the information on these missions was always received after the fact. No one could pinpoint Tim’s location, despite the Bats and JL’s resources that were focused towards the task. Even attempting to use super-human abilities and magical scrying had no results. 

“That is, until yesterday when Conner Kent and Bart Allen also returned unexpectedly from the dead. The circumstances around their return will be discussed later, but their authenticity has been confirmed multiple times. More importantly was that Superboy was, presumably due to his familiarity to the former Robin, able to pinpoint Tim’s location at a high security LexCorp research facility in Alaska. That particular site is now more or less confirmed to be researching new forms of weaponry, some of it containing kryptonite. The Bats, along with Superboy, Impulse, and Wonder Girl, all dispatched almost immediately and managed to retrieve Tim from the facility. Tim himself was the only one significantly injured in the ensuing fight, and he is even now recovering in the Watchtower’s medical facilities, expected to awake shortly. And that is all we know.”

“Still sounds a bit suspicious to me,” Green Lantern declares, heedless of Batman’s increasingly furious glare towards the room's occupants. “Even if we all determine that the kid was perfectly sane when he ran off to find Batman- just because he was right doesn’t mean that he was one hundred percent together at the time- his more recent actions are alarming. He could have, should have, returned to Gotham when Bruce did, but instead he chose to stay and work alongside one of our worst enemies. Two of them, if he was working with Luthor as well. Doesn’t this kid have all sorts of knowledge about all of us? Letting him continue to run around freely colluding with enemies is dangerous. If he’s actually betrayed us-”

“He was acting under duress, it’s not his fault!” Batman finally snapped, rising abruptly to his feet as a fist pounded against the table hard enough to rattle it. Everyone else was immensely startled by the show of emotion by their normally ever-stoic Founder, many of them rising themselves as if concerned that the anger could escalate.

“Enough!” Wonder Woman snapped at the group, accompanied by Superman’s forceful, “Calm down Bruce, everyone. We’re not the enemy here.” There was some grumbling from around the table, but everyone eventually complied with the order. There were a few moments of silence after the fact, no one quite sure how to continue asking questions from there when Batman was obviously very touchy on the subject.

It was eventually Flash who spoke up, slowly as if being atypically cautious of his wording. “When I asked a couple weeks ago, Nightwing said that there were extenuating factors in the situation that we hadn’t been made aware of. What haven’t you told us yet Batman? What are we missing here?”

The various heroes tensed at the direct words, expecting another harsh rebuttal by the Dark Knight. Surprisingly, the anger didn’t come. Batman just sort of seemed to slump in on himself slightly, as much as he ever did. That reaction was almost more jarring than the anger. No one moved, waiting to see how the man would respond.

“The Lazarus Pit,” Batman finally said, barely loud enough to carry across the space. The reaction, despite the lack of strength of the delivery, was immediate. Everyone around the table besides Batman went rigid with surprise at the mention of Ra’s al-Ghul’s key to immortality, and most quickly made the implied connection that they had been given.

“Oh god,” Black Canary breathed, the horror in her voice blatant. Beside her, Green Arrow’s face had gone atypically pale. Everyone had turned three shades more grim, even the younger members present who would have had little to no knowledge of the Pits beyond what they had read in the archives. 

“Why wasn’t this information revealed sooner?” Aquaman asked after everyone had been given a bit to process the new data that had been revealed. “Or was it something more recent that happened after you last saw him?”

“It’s… not new,” Batman admitted reluctantly. There was no more sidestepping this. “From what I was told, the… injury that led to the use of the Pit happened only a couple of months after Tim left Gotham, shortly after he grew desperate enough to accept Ra’s’ assistance. I- the family decided early on that we wouldn’t disclose the information unless it became relevant to the search.” Batman, Bruce, looked down at his clenched hands, posture sagging. “He seemed so in control when I saw him last, I wasn’t even sure if it would really be an issue for him. The little research we have proves that everyone reacts differently, after all. But something escalated after I had to leave him, maybe  _ because _ I left him. He’s more unstable now. But he’s safe now, and the Titans all saw him, so there is no point in holding the information back anymore.”

“That would explain a lot of Timothy’s movements,” Martian Manhunter agreed. “I’ve only gotten brief glimpses into human minds exposed to the Lazarus waters, but that was enough. If Timothy was exposed, and was as deeply affected as you now assume, he truly cannot be held accountable for his choices. However, this isn’t something that will be easily fixed now that he has been retrieved. The issue still must be addressed”

“I am well aware of that,” Batman agreed, still slightly pained. “Unfortunately enough, quite a few members of my family have a degree of experience with the Lazarus Pits, some significantly so. I’m confident that we can pull him back from the edge of the Pit now that he’s away from Ra’s’ influence.” Everyone in the table nodded slightly at the declaration. Despite Ra’s being classified as a Justice League level enemy due to the reach of his influence and power, more times than not it seemed like the Bats were the ones taking him down a few pegs every few months.

“What about Tim’s involvement with Luthor?” Superman redirected, obviously a bit more concerned than the others about that detail. “What do you know about that?”

“Not much,” Batman said tiredly. “There wasn’t a chance to discuss it with Tim or to do a thorough sweep of the place when we were focused on getting him out. I suspect the partnership was just a tactical move by Ra’s to throw us further off Tim’s trail. It was very fortunate for us either way.”

“How so?” Captain Marvel asked curiously.

“Luthor is good at hiding from Supers, but that particular base was remote enough that he was a bit lax with the audio shielding,” Batman pointed out. “That’s the only reason Superboy was able to find Tim so quickly. Ra’s is paranoid, and he knew that we had allies checking periodically for Tim specifically. All his bases where he was housing Tim and himself were no doubt much more thoroughly shielded via mechanical, structural, and magical means. Even Superboy wouldn’t have been able to reach him through that.”

“That would explain why we couldn’t locate him,” Zatanna agreed, “Though it does make me wonder who he got to put up the magical barriers.”

“There are a lot of magic-based villains in the database,” Green Lantern pointed out before anyone else could. “He probably just cashed in a favor at some point. Or a series of favors. Maybe made some sort of trade at one point or another. It doesn’t really matter, in the long run. Ra’s isn’t one to use magic like that long term.”

The conversation reached a natural lull, everyone again taking a moment to mull over the information that they had been given. Bruce glanced subtly at his wrist computer, checking the time and confirming that there were no messages. He had left Cassandra sitting with Tim, and they were in the Watchtower so there was no concern over his safety, but Bruce was nonetheless anxious to return to his son’s bedside. The boy should be waking soon.

“So what's your plan from here, Batman?” Wonder Woman cut into his thoughts. “You mentioned previously that your family is the most familiar with Ra’s’ seductions and the Pit’s influence, but I do have some concerns about the security in Gotham. I believe it was Green Lantern who pointed out the fact that Timothy has access to a vast wealth of knowledge and abilities that could prove dangerous to all of us in his current mental state. However, I think we all can agree that holding him here, or in any other secure Justice League facility, would not help his recovery. What safeguards will be in place until we can one hundred percent confirm Timothy’s loyalties?”

Batman sighed quietly, head tipping down ever so slightly and eyes closing briefly behind the anonymity of his cowl before he fully refocused on the others. “I suspected that this is where this conversation was heading. I am willing to make the concession towards something similar to a parole period, for the time being. Tim will be confined to Gotham for the time being. More specifically I plan to keep him in the Manor and under Bat observation for at least the length of time it takes for him to readjust as necessary. He won’t be unsupervised until we are sure of the safety of both himself and others in his vicinity. Ra’s isn’t one to just give in easily after all. In a month or so we can reassess what new information we have. If there are really any complaints about how we are handling things at that point, they can be addressed then. Is that acceptable?”

There was a wave of muttering, the Senior Council reaching a general consensus to let the Bats handle their own for now. Batman internally exhaled in relief that no one had pushed for more constraints after all of the horrible rumors and bias that had been building over the past year. The Lazarus Pit reveal had garnered more sympathy than Batman had first hoped. The issue was settled just in time, too. Just as the tension started to fully break apart, Batman’s wrist computer finally gave the ping he had been waiting for. Gotham’s Dark Knight stood smoothly from his chair, all former signs of stress wiped away by cool professionalism.

“Now that that issue is settled, I must take my leave. It has been a hectic day, and I still have a lot of things to attend to before I can return to Gotham. Message me if you must, but don’t expect a swift answer.” And with that, the Caped Crusader moved swiftly yet silently out of the room, only releasing his pent up breath as the door closed between him and the ‘goodbyes’ and ‘good lucks’ of his allies. 

Not wasting any time on recentering himself, Bruce Wayne’s concerns slid smoothly to the fore of his mind as the man confidently made his way through the many hallways of the Watchtower. He had things to do, goals to accomplish.

His son was awake and safe once again, and it was past time that Bruce was able to actually see him.

\---

Tim comes to awareness slowly, carefully in control of himself. It’s an instinct born from experience, years of training and ingrained subconscious reactions honed by Bruce’s and the Pit’s and Ra’s’ influence working together to determine the best reaction for a given scenario. Even as his brain first starts to process conscious thoughts, he knows already that he is somewhere unfamiliar. There is at least one person present in the room with him, but they are not hovering above him or actively doing anything to him beyond watching. There is currently no need for a rapid, furious defense. An abrupt awakening like that would only give him away before he has time to gather information about his surroundings. 

So even as Tim drifts awake fully and his brain kicks into hyperdrive his muscles stay lax, his heartbeat stays slow and steady, his eyes do not flutter. There will be no indication to anyone watching that his status has changed. It gives him time to gather himself, to assess the many signals his body and surroundings are giving him. There is a lot of information to sort through, after all.

The most demanding is his own body, the burning ache centered around his chest and lingering throughout all of his muscles in a way he hasn’t ever experienced. The muscle strain is almost like after a bad Lazarus episode, but not quite. This is something different. He’s tired, even after the suspected hours he’s spent asleep. Whether this is a tiredness born of his own body trying to heal from whatever happened or something caused by drugs he can not yet tell. He can’t feel any IV’s at the moment, but he also hasn’t moved or opened his eyes to confirm it and the dull, aching buzz below his skin could be hiding the pinch of a needle. For now, the only external injury he can feel is a stitched and bandaged cut on his left forearm. Initial assessment indicates that this was professionally done.

Tim shifts his awareness a bit further outward. He is no longer dressed in anything Ra’s would see fit for him to wear. That is to say, he’s not in any sort of stiff formal wear or form-fitting suit underlayer. The clothes are somewhere in between, something along the lines of sweatpants and a t-shirt. It’s certainly not in his full Ghost uniform like Tim has to assume he was wearing previously based on the flashes of memory he’s getting through the still-lingering fog over his brain. He was fighting, he had passed out, he ended up here. And ‘here’ is almost certainly not with Ra’s. A hostage situation to get at the Demon’s Head perhaps?

The mattress under him is thin, though not overly uncomfortable, and there’s a thin blanket over him. Somewhere in the general area something is letting out a slow, consistent beep in time with his heart. Medical equipment would certainly make sense given how strange his body feels after whatever happened to him. Given the way the sound of the beeping (and the near-silent rasp the room's two occupants breathing) echoes, the room is an open one. The temperature is unremarkable, likely controlled. A proper medical ward, maybe? 

He can determine nothing of note about the person in the room with him. Their breathing is slow and controlled but not asleep, and they are around 5-10 feet away from where he’s laying. That’s all Tim knows for sure. There is no indication of movement to give away size, no voice to give away gender. Nothing about their presumed watch has changed since Tim woke. He has escaped notice thus far.

As such, Tim just about jumps out of his skin when light fingers are suddenly brushing against his arm  _ out of nowhere _ .

“Ti-” is all the person- female, on the younger side- managed to vocalize before Tim is up and out from under the covers, lashing out with one foot even as he throws himself in the opposite direction to gain some distance from the person who apparently managed to get close to him without him even  _ noticing _ . Ra’s would be disappointed that Tim had missed something like that.

The drop to the floor is a bit further than Tim thought, he had jerked away before even opening his eyes to get a proper assessment. They spring open as he’s moving, the world blurs, and suddenly he’s stumbling backwards on abnormally numb feet, away from the identified threat still on the other side of the bed. His back knocks into a pole sitting at his bedside as he staggers to regain control, brain whirring too fast for any thought to actually stick. Said pole tips backwards with a  _ crash _ that comes almost perfectly in time with a sharp tug at his right inner elbow. There had been an IV, then. That’s taken care of now.

Tim’s head is still spinning, nothing is processing correctly. All of his muscles scream in protest at the strain of simple movement, machines are blaring in response to his abrupt desertion of the bed he had been on. He pulls his arms up defensively as the other person in the room draws closer, but he can feel his entire body shaking with the strain of movement and adrenaline of the moment. 

The Pit is lapping at the edges of his mind, instinct pushing to take over as conscious thought failed him mid crisis. Tim fought it back waveringly even as his vision blurred further. He didn’t want to give in to that instinct here, at least not yet. He didn’t know where he was, he needed to figure out how to escape quickly, not get lost in the moment fighting his way through. There were no allies here to make sure he kept going in the right direction if he gave in to the Pit’s call. But he could feel himself losing ground, thoughts blurring, green filling in the cracks-

A voice. A familiar voice cuts through the waves of green, one that his mind catalogued as safe. He clings to it like a life raft, suddenly given proof that he’s not as alone as he thought. But he can’t figure out who this voice belongs to. It’s not Ra’s or Pru, or anyone from the League of Assassins. Their presence was always tinged with an air of caution no matter how much time he spent with them. Tim decided that he didn’t care. He didn’t instinctively relax with even Pru the way he did with this person’s voice. This person was only safe. He had to trust them.

Tim didn’t flinch away at the hand that lightly pressed against his shoulder, sliding down carefully to wrap around his wrist. He was nudged back on shaking legs until his calves hit a surface, and suddenly he was sitting down, the still unidentified person crouching in front of him as they continued to talk softly. The hand on his wrist rubbed soothing circles against his skin, giving his mind yet another thing to ground him.

It took a while, how long exactly he couldn’t say, but eventually the voice resolved itself into actual words. “- safe, Tim. We will not hurt you. You are with family. Is safe here.” The blurry figure in front of him gradually came into focus as well, a girl somewhere around his own age of early adulthood with short, dark hair and sharp, assessing eyes. His breathing stuttered again slightly when his brain finally made the connection as to who this person was, elation and confusion spiking simultaneously.

“Cass?”

The girl in question smiled, eyes lighting up with the warmth of it.

“Timmy-bird, little brother. Hi,” she said as confirmation.

“Uh… hi,” Tim returned, muscles relaxing minutely when it sank in that this was indeed Cassandra Wayne in front of him. Cass wouldn’t let him get hurt. A quick glance revealed no one else in the room besides them. Cass was in her Black Bat uniform, he realized now, just without a mask. She had been the one waiting for him to wake up, for some reason. 

Where even was he? Why was Cass here?  _ What was Tim missing? _ He could remember a bit more of what happened now. The perimeter alarms had gone off, the comms system failing right alongside it. Ghost- Tim- had gone up to the surface with the ninja Ra’s had sent with him to guard Luthor’s base, only to find the Bats waiting for them. Him? There had been… some sort of conversation. That part is where things got a lot more hazy for him. He remembered feeling… panicked, conflicted. Something… big had happened, itching at the edges of his mind. Ra’s had been furious, that was for certain. At him? But that’s all he had, then it’s just blank up until now.

“Um, Cass… where am I?” he finally managed to ask, trying to not give away how unsettled he was about the blank spots in his memory. “What happened?”

“We rescued you. Family and Titans, together.” she explained confidently, as if that clarified things.

“You  _ rescued _ ... Wait, the Titans were there?”

“Indeed they were,” a voice that definitely wasn’t Cass cut in. Tim jumped slightly, cursing his lack of awareness once again, only to glance up and find himself face-to-cowl with the Batman. His former mentor, his sort-of father figure, the one Tim had given everything to save. 

Tim’s pulse jumped at the sight of the achingly familiar figure. He was wary of what Batman would do, painfully aware of how far he had fallen since he had last seen his former mentor. Memories of Jason’s return to Gotham flashed through Tim’s mind, and he had to repress a shudder. He didn't think he could handle it if Batman went after him like that. He wouldn’t be able to handle it if he got thrown in Arkham after he ran off alone to escape that exact fate. 

He had little hope that Cass would get in the way of that decision, should Batman deem it best. Tim and Cass had always been close, but to the Bats Batman’s final word was law. Fighting against his will on something as big as Tim would only land the others in a cell right next to his. So Tim just waited mutely for the verdict to come down.

But the Dark Knight didn’t immediately lash out, neither physically nor verbally. He simply stepped further into the empty medical ward, gently closing the door behind him before again turning to face Tim. The cowl was pulled back without fanfare, and suddenly it was just Tim and Bruce instead of Ghost and Batman. That made Tim feel slightly less nervous about the situation. Bruce was always a bit easier to talk to when out of the mask, and that went double for emotionally charged situations like this.

The man stopped his approach with a few feet between them, choosing to keep his distance and study Tim from afar. Cass moved from her crouched position in front of Tim as he drew closer, drifting to the side as if to not block the eldest man’s view. She didn’t interrupt as the two males studied each other blankly. Tim waited for the other shoe to drop, refusing to be the one to break the silence.

When Bruce finally spoke, it wasn’t the harsh words he was expecting. He had apparently chosen to lock onto a different detail to start with.

“You pulled out your IV,” Bruce admonished, almost sounding alarmingly… concerned. He took a step closer to Tim, eyes focused on the thin trail of blood down Tim’s arm. Glancing down at it himself, it was clear to Tim that the small wound had already almost stopped bleeding. It wasn’t the main concern here. He instinctively pulled the offending limb closer to his chest nonetheless.

“I don’t appreciate being drugged,” Tim defended, flat tone drifting a bit closer towards sharp. This whole scenario was throwing him off. Everything was off here, he still didn’t know what was going on, and no one was making any sense. It set him on edge. At least with Ra’s he always knew where the line was. Tim didn’t even know how he  _ got _ here, damnit.

“We weren’t giving you any sedatives, or anything that strong,” Bruce offered quickly, too openly for Tim to trust that nothing was up. “It was mostly just fluids, and a mild painkiller. We wanted you to wake up sooner rather than later, just in case. Your body is probably pretty sore though, likely with muscle pain, maybe some tremors or numbness? No one was sure exactly how it would affect you. We can get you on some other pain meds in a bit. Your chest has some decent electricity burns on it as well. It’s a miracle that things weren’t worse than they were, though Jason suspects the Pit is boosting your healing just enough to buffer against the serious internal damage we feared. That might be where the extra exhaustion is coming from.”

Electricity burns… so he was electrocuted? None of the Bats’ weapons would be carrying enough current to risk organ damage, so it didn’t make sense for them to have done it. As much as he strained, Tim couldn’t put together the pieces he was missing.

“What  _ happened _ ,” Tim demanded, his careful blank mask slipping away under the onslaught of confusion. “Where the hell am I, Bruce?”

“You’re in the Watchtower’s medical ward,” Bruce assured swiftly, seemingly alarmed at Tim’s slip in control. The man glanced momentarily over at where Cass stood slightly off to the side now, the two having some sort of silent conversation. After a few seconds Bruce nodded, glancing back towards Tim thoughtfully. He then moved forward, ignoring Tim’s slight flinch as Bruce rounded the bed Tim had formerly laid on and sat lightly on the edge of it. Apparently he was expecting this to be a longer conversation. Then he  _ finally _ started to give a proper explanation.

“Yesterday everyone in the family was meeting to discuss the week’s events and progress as usual when we were interrupted by some unexpected visitors. Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Impulse to be precise.”

“Kon and Bart,” Tim breathed, mildly shocked by the news. Their names jogged his memory, three familiar figures throwing open a set of warehouse doors, standing backlit by the sun as a familiar, deep voice called out to him. Tim’s chest  _ tugged _ . “They’re alive? How? Where are they?”

“Yes, they apparently are alive and have been confirmed. I haven’t received a full report myself yet, but I know time travel was involved somehow. Conner in particular was the key that finally allowed us to get a lock on your location, though Luthor’s imperfect security also played a role. The three of them all came on the rescue mission as well. They all wanted to wait for you to wake up, but you were out for a long time. Considering that Conner and Bart had literally just come back from the dead they eventually conceded that they had to take care of some things. I promise you’ll be able to see them as soon as they’re free and you have recovered a bit more.”

Tim studied Bruce’s face for a few moments, distrusting on principle. His fuzzy memories seemed to support what he said about Bart and Kon being back, sure, but he could also see this as some sort of ploy to gain his trust. Everyone knew how his best friends’ deaths had hurt Tim. Even with the likelihood that they  _ were  _ back, Tim didn’t trust that he would actually be allowed to talk to them, not without some sort of catch.

Either way, it’s not like Tim really had any say in the matter. He was essentially in Justice League custody after all, no matter how they manipulated the situation to make it seem more innocent than it was. After all, he had apparently been taken unceremoniously from Luthor’s facility to the Watchtower, one of the most secure facilities in the galaxy. Tim had no control here.

_ Focus, _ he chided himself internally.  _ Get all the information you can out of them for now, then figure out how much you can trust them _ .

“Alright,” Tim agreed externally, metaphorical mask carefully in place once again. “I remember you guys showing up, and pieces of the conversation after that. And I can just  _ barely _ remember the Titans showing up. What happened after that?”

“Ra’s panicked, as much as a man like him can,” Bruce conveyed, almost gravely. “He ordered his men to attack us, and he tried to get you to retreat back to the lower levels. I can’t say exactly what you were thinking at the time, from what I could tell you were in and out of clarity all throughout that confrontation, but I  _ did  _ see you fighting towards us in the middle of things. Probably towards Bart and Conner, really. You definitely injured some of the ninja who tried to stop you, I couldn’t tell how badly.” Bruce visibly winced at the last part.  _ There’s _ that discomfort and disappointment Tim was looking for, but it was still layered under enough other emotions that it confused Tim. Cass, for her part, didn’t react at all, choosing to continue her silent observation of the conversation. It was strange

“How did I end up electrocuted,” Tim pushed, knowing that that was the last missing piece here. Bruce winced again.

“That was Ra’s’ doing. Your suit had an inbuilt defibrillator, and apparently it could be triggered remotely at a level far higher than any medical professional would recommend. You dropped on the spot. Your... your heart actually stopped for a bit afterwards, and Batgirl and Hood had to work together to bring you back. It was only for a couple of minutes, I think. But that’s what made us so concerned afterwards, enough so that we came here rather than heading straight for the Cave.”

Tim stopped listening somewhere in the middle of Bruce’s explanation. He wanted to laugh. Hysterically so. His heart had stopped. Again. He had been pulled from the clutches of death for a second time, this round without a Lazarus Pit. Ra’s had done this, supposedly. He would have known what he was risking. The man had been perfectly willing to sacrifice Tim’s life again in order to keep (protect?) him from the Bats’ clutches. Especially if Tim was being as insubordinate as it sounded, when he was already on thin ice lately.

Assuming that Bruce was telling the truth about this.

Could he trust Bruce’s word, especially after he had essentially orchestrated Tim’s kidnapping from Ra’s’ oversight? After the Bats had all done so much to hurt and betray him, Bruce included? Or should he trust the other part of his mind that was the Heir loyal only to Ra’s, trusting that the immortal man would only do what was best for him in the long run? Even when what was best for him led to pain and broken morals?

Tim wasn’t sure who to trust, anymore. He couldn’t even trust himself.

For the first time since Batman had stepped into the room, Tim dropped his gaze, preferring to carefully study how his hands clenched where they rested on his lap. The hopelessness and lack of control over the situation washed over him again. He had absolutely no choice here. It didn’t matter who he trusted, not right now. He was under the Bats’ control right now. Fighting against what they said would undoubtedly lead to consequences. 

If… if he played nice, if he did everything he could to stay between the lines and act like everything was perfectly fine in this situation, then things shouldn’t be too bad. The Bats and the Justice League always liked to see themselves as Paragons of Justice. They wouldn’t mess around with that. Considering he wasn’t restrained at all right now, even after he had lashed out blindly at Cass when he first awoke, then Tim doubted that they were immediately planning on throwing him into a place like Arkham. They were trying to convince him that he wasn’t the prisoner that he was. They wanted him to stay away from Ra’s willingly.

This could work out alright. Tim could play the game, earn himself a bit of freedom, and from there he would have time to think things through and sort through the mess that was his brain. He would gain himself time to plan, to decide where his alliances should be. That was all he had at the moment. It was his best bet in the impossible situation he had been dragged into against his will.

“What happens now?” he asked quietly, after just enough time had passed to play at having been shaken up at Ra’s’ actions. The fact that he sort of  _ was  _ just made things easier, and that was crucial. He was trying to convince the World’s Best Detective and Cassandra Wayne, after all. They both softened slightly at his tone, so he assumed it had worked.

“First I want to check over all of your injuries one more time. Including where you pulled out that IV, don’t think I forgot about that Timothy. Maybe run you through some light stretching or CT scans as well, to check again for any hidden damage. You’ll definitely need some proper painkillers. After that everything should be set for us to finally head back to Gotham. All the others should be waiting for us at the Manor. They’re already expecting us.”

Ah, so the Manor was to be his not-prison, and therefore the Bats were his supposedly well-meaning wardens. It was impossible for Tim to determine how much of this offered kindness was genuine. Either way, the reality that Tim was to be confined to the Manor’s walls for the foreseeable future was unstated but nonetheless implied. Tim wondered distantly if the rest of the Justice League had opposed that choice, if any of them had pushed for a stricter confinement. It wouldn’t surprise him.

He could still remember the reactions when Jason’s return was revealed, after all. He remembered the paranoia among the hero community that a former Bat had drifted so far from Gotham’s strict moral code, the fear of where that betrayal of family would lead. Jason’s reign of terror had been mostly solo and confined to Gotham’s bounds, and that was really the only reason that the Justice League stayed out of things. 

Tim, in comparison, was well recorded as working worldwide with Ra’s. He was fair game, aside from the Bats’ wishes. How narrow a line was Tim walking between being held at Wayne Manor vs one of the Justice League’s high security prisons?

There was no choice but to walk that line if he wanted a shot at doing what he needed to do in this situation. He was too well trained, too backed into a corner, to settle for anything else. Tim refused to lose himself in this power struggle between two sides. He was in a precarious position now, maybe more so than ever before, but all was not lost.

Tim could still pick his own path, if he played his cards right.

The ex-vigilante-assassin looked up again with a new determination burning under his skin. His body language shifted, careful to include Cass even as he focused his attention towards Bruce. His green-tainted eyes once again sought out that familiar, intense blue. 

Tim nodded in agreement.


	2. Don’t be afraid (there’s nothing strange)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cass takes her role as an older sibling very seriously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy I finally got another chapter done. It only took a little over two weeks… In my defense, this was like 80% done before Monday, but then school dragged me into a dark alley and stole all my free time. Also in my defense the content making up this chapter was just supposed to be like a brief, maybe 2k brush over before jumping into the next section, and now it’s its own chapter. A bit shorter than the last one maybe (and since when did almost 5k seem *short*), but if I added the next section on it would be ridiculously long so here we are. I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> \---
> 
> Chapter title from “Poison” by Cavetown

Tim’s return to Wayne Manor is a quiet affair, all things considered. 

It only took a single brief and silent but nonetheless heated disagreement with Bruce before Cass acquiesced to head back to the Manor ahead of the other two. She wasn’t particularly happy about it, but she recognized the necessity. Cass had sworn to herself before that she wouldn’t leave Tim alone for a second until they were both back in the Manor. Maybe not even then. She knew for a fact that she wasn’t the only one who could feel the tension between Tim and Bruce, and she didn’t want to risk something happening while she was gone. 

However, Cass couldn’t deny Bruce’s reasoning. If she returned before Tim, then she could guarantee that the path between the Cave’s zeta tube and Tim’s freshly cleaned room in the Manor would be clear of their well-meaning but nonetheless troublesome siblings and family friends who might be lingering in to try and intercept him. While Tim might be  _ hurt-unsure-guard _ with Bruce (and Cass herself, to a lesser degree), he could tolerate being with them well enough without slipping into  _ fear-anger-attack _ , as long as they were careful with him. Tim wasn’t entirely closed off to the idea of trust the way Jason had been for a time, just extremely cautious. They just had to be careful not to make things worse.

The others though… Cass was more concerned about them. Bruce seemed to be doing well enough skirting around Tim’s boundaries, but she  _ knew _ how most of them were  _ worried-nervous-excited-guilt _ . They were almost certain to jump him in an overeager attempt at reconciliation arrival, and that would absolutely not end well when paired with Tim’s nerves. Even just from the brief moments during the earlier rescue mission Cass could tell how Tim’s eyes tinted just a bit greener, body language leaning a bit deeper into  _ anger-distrust-defend _ when looking at Dick or Damian or Steph. They prompted the anger more than had been predicted. He was not as willing to trust them. To him, they were still regarded as dangerous.

Cass could see exactly how on edge Tim was currently just due to the pain and confusion and stress he was under. He was upset at the situation he had been thrust into, once again moved against his will. And now he was about to be moved to somewhere even more isolated with only people he distrusted for company. He wasn’t ready to see any of the others, except perhaps Alfred. Cass trusted him to know how to act with discretion, but not the others, not now. It would only end in disaster if someone tried to push for a reunion in a blind fit of excitement or relief at seeing Tim home. 

If someone did something to set off the fragile balance Tim was currently holding, it would set back their attempts to help regain his trust exponentially. They had to make sure they gave Tim space to heal. Between Cass and Bruce, one of them had to ensure that nothing would happen that could negatively tint Tim’s first venture back home. 

And as much as Cass wanted to stay with Tim… in this scenario everyone was much more likely to listen to her if she told them to back off. Bruce telling them to stay away could be heard and challenged as overprotectiveness. They all trusted Cass’s word a bit more.  _ Cass _ telling them to stay clear should buy them a bit more time.

Tim needed that time. 

Cass held out just long enough to extract Bruce’s promise that he wouldn’t let anything happen to Tim in her absence, and then she left with a begrudging nod and a hand gently squeezing Tim’s shoulder. Even that small contact seemed to startle Tim. He jumped slightly, whipping his head around to stare at her for a moment before realizing who was touching him.  _ Nervous-discomfort-distrust _ at the contact, even when the confirmation that it was just her pushed back the rising wave of green from his eyes and mind.

“Soon. I will wait,” Cass promised him, and then she refitted her Black Bat mask and strode swiftly out of the room. She ignored the questioning eyes of the Justice League on her path to the zeta tubes. Bruce would confirm Tim’s health and safety and then bring him the final distance home. She had her own mission to accomplish.

\---

Just as predicted, Cass arrived in the Cave to find it occupied. She only had time to take in a single breath of that familiar, slightly damp air before her eyes caught on Dick from across the open space. Her eldest brother paused in his gymnastics routine when he heard the zeta chime, eyes lighting momentarily with  _ hope-excitement _ that only dimmed slightly when it was clear that Cass was alone. He easily dropped down to the mat and jogged over to meet her halfway.

“Hey Cass,” he greeted once they were close enough that they wouldn’t be just yelling at each other across the open space. It annoyed Alfred when they did that. “Any updates? Is Timmy awake yet? Is he coming home soon?” Cass could appreciate that he at least took the time to say hello before releasing a flood of questions. Some of the others might not have even bothered. Dick was generally the best out of the family at maintaining strong, positive relationships. It irked her that this skill had somehow failed so miserably towards Tim, but she knew that he was punishing himself enough for it already.

“Tim is awake. Coming soon,” she informed him quickly, cutting him off before he could think of any more increasingly specific things to ask about. 

The smile Dick had been sporting before brightened significantly at the news. He was genuinely glad that Tim was coming home, even if he was using those positive feelings to drown out his guilt over the whole situation. That longing to fix things made her feel slightly more guilty for having to keep him away, but it was also exactly why she had to do it. 

“That’s great! I can’t wait to-”

“You must leave,” she cut in before he could get too far. There was a momentary pause as Dick blinked at her, uncertainty slipping into his body language.

“What? What do you mean, Cass?” was said hesitantly, doubting. He already knew where this was going, but didn’t want to admit it to himself. It made Cass feel even worse about this, but she pushed on. Tim needed the space more than Dick needed the forgiveness right now.

“Tim is fragile, cannot talk to you. Bad for him. He is hurt. You must leave.” Clear cut, decisive. Cass was not budging here. This would not be a debate.

“Cass…” Dick resisted, tone laced with  _ guilt-despair _ . “You know why I  _ have _ to talk to him. I messed up, I just want to apologize. I owe him that.”

He wasn’t wrong, Cass acknowledged internally. Dick  _ did _ need to apologize to Tim, both for their younger brother and for himself. He was holding on to so much guilt over the situation. Despite how no one said it, it was clear that Dick was the one who broke Tim’s trust the most. The apology would be only the first step needed for him to regain anything close to what he and Tim had once shared, if the relationship could even be mended at all. But if he pushed it, if he tried to air his sorrows too soon, Tim would only lash out and dig himself further into his mind. Tim would not believe the words now, and any hope at reconciliation would be forever lost.

“Yes, but not yet. Not ready now. Tim needs time. Let him heal. Then he will be ready.” Cass left no room for argument. 

Dick studied Cass’s face for a few moments, desperately trying to deny the resolution there. After a few seconds the last of his stubbornness drained out all at once, and Dick’s shoulders dropped in acquiescence.

“Alright,” he agreed grumpily. “ _ Alright _ , I’ll stay clear. At least for tonight. No promises after that.” Cass studied him for a second longer, considering the mullish glint to his eyes, before figuring that this was as good as she would get for now. Tomorrow could be dealt with as needed. 

Cass nodded in agreement, and Dick reluctantly turned away to trudge off towards the stairs.  _ Sad-helpless-guilt _ . After a second of studying him and considering the rest of the things she had to tackle, Cass suddenly had an idea.

“Wait!” she called, and Dick turned around to raise an eyebrow at her. “You want to help?” 

“Of course,” her eldest brother responded predictably. “That’s why I’m being banished, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Cass agreed, resisting the instinct to roll her eyes. “But also, distract Damian. He must stay away too.”

Cass watched the thought process play out over Dick’s face as he considered what she said, likely playing out the same possible outcomes if the two youngest Bats met the same as she had earlier. He winced slightly at the conclusion that drew.

“Yeah, I’ll have to agree with you there. Dami has grown a lot over the past year, I know he actually regrets how he acted with Tim originally on some level. But considering how Tim was so closely tied with Ra’s and the League of Assassins…” the image of dark ink across pale skin and poisonous green eyes flashed through Cass’s mind, “If seeing  _ me _ is risky for Tim, Dami is definitely a no-go. Alright, I get it.”

“Yes, bad idea,” Cass agreed empathetically.

Dick considered his options for a moment, shifting more towards  _ focus-helpful _ . “Dami and I could watch some movies in the main TV lounge, I guess. It’s a bit late, but it’s not like we're not used to late nights and he’s still on summer break for a few weeks. A movie or two should give you enough time to get Tim settled in.”

Cass considers the idea. The lounge in question, the one with the best couches and sound system that they all always preferred for movie nights, was on the first floor and a ways away from the hall that Tim would have to be led down to get to the stairs. The movies, and Dick’s undivided attention, would be enough to distract Damian for the time they needed, even if he had thought to try and intercept Tim’s return. That was as good of a plan as they were going to get. Cass agreed..

The two Wayne siblings split up. Dick went to make a stop in his room to change out of his workout gear before finding Damian, while Cass ducked into the lockers to change out of her Black Bat uniform before ascending the stairs alone and taking a different hallway. After all, she still had the rest of the Manor’s permanent and occasional occupants to account for on this mission. She could spend the time combing the expansive layout to confirm if anyone was waiting around, but that would take time. Likely more time than Cass had. 

Luckily for her, there was one man who undoubtedly knew where everyone was, and Cass knew exactly where she would find him.

Sure enough, Cass’s approach towards the main kitchen was guided by the familiar scent of Alfred’s cooking. She entered the room to spy the beloved Englishman himself as he fiddled with a medium sized pot boiling on the stove. More surprising was the fact that the butler wasn’t alone. Both Alfred and Jason looked up at Cass’s entrance, the latter of the pair straightening from where he leaned against the far wall.  _ Protective-anxious-care _ and  _ nervous-hopeful-guilty _ , both calmed slightly by the others' presence. 

Interesting. Cass had half expected Jason to have retreated to one of his safehouses already with how uncomfortable with the situation he still was, but apparently his lingering worry about Tim’s wellbeing was enough to make him hang around for confirmation that he was definitely alright before he bolted. Her wisp of a future plan might be even more reasonable than she thought, but that’s for later. One thing at a time, she couldn’t multitask like Tim could.

“Miss Cassandra,” Alfred greeted warmly, setting down the wooden spoon he had been holding as he turned to face her properly. “I was expecting a notice of some sort before your return from the Watchtower. Is everything alright then?”

“Yes, alright. Tim is awake,” Cass recited again. “I am the notice, Tim and Bruce coming soon. I come first, make sure no one bothers him. Needs space.”

“That’s a good plan,” Jason acknowledged, moving quickly to grab his jacket from where it was draped over a nearby chair. “In that case I should probably make my exit now. Unlike the rest of you, I actually need to get some patrolling done tonight. Crime Alley won’t rid itself of idiots in my absence.” 

The excuse was a bit thin but genuine, Cass recognized. It  _ had _ been a couple of days since Red Hood had been able to make his usual patrols, between the Tim rescue mission the previous night and a couple big all hands on deck cases the days leading up to then. The need to check back in with his territory wasn’t unreasonable. But Cass could tell that the hasty exit was also because Jason was…  _ scared  _ to stay. Scared of what might come next. Now that Tim was definitely alright, that fear was overriding the concern that had held Jason here in the first place. He needed the space to assess himself and this new scenario.

“Stay safe, beat up bad guys,” Cass recited, earning a begrudging grin from the older boy.

“You’ve got it Cassie,” he teases back to her, turning towards the door that led to the garage. Cass suspected that he was about to “borrow” one of Bruce’s cars, not that anyone really cared.

Alfred’s “Do come back soon, Master Jason,” made the boy pause, glancing back with an air of  _ sad-hope-guilt _ at the older man. Knowing Alfred as she did, Cass knew that the butler had likely deduced Jason’s reasons for leaving just like she had and that this pointed reminder was the man’s attempt to keep the second Robin from straying too far. He got a nod for his efforts.

“Will do. I’ll call you,” Jason promised, and then he slipped swiftly from the room before Alfred could even attempt to extract a more specific visitation timeline from the boy. 

It was fine. Cass could tell that Jason would be back eventually. Both of the remaining occupants of the kitchen waited silently and without moving for a few moments, studying the now empty doorway. Then Alfred turned towards Cass with his familiar warm, if currently slightly strained, smile.

“Do you need anything Miss Cass? You and Master Bruce have both been very determined with your vigil over Master Timothy. I assume you have both taken the time to get proper food and rest over the past day?” Alfred asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow appraisingly.

“Yes. Slept taking turns, and Watchtower has food stocked,” she assured him, and it was technically true, even if all of their naps had been rather short ones and the food had been more like snacks they could grab quickly and take back to the Medbay. Alfred’s expression gave away that he wasn’t at all convinced that his charges were taking care of themselves properly without his oversight, but he didn’t call her out on it.

“Lovely. You won’t do Master Tim any good asleep on your feet.” Cass nodded in agreement, carefully not pointing out that both she and Bruce had gone far longer without sleep and food before when necessary.

“Where is Steph? Babs?” she asked instead, choosing to redirect the conversation. She still had a mission to complete, after all.

“Ah, of course,” Alfred acquiesced. “Miss Stephanie had to leave earlier this afternoon to attend what classes she could, as well as to mollify her mother. She mentioned plans to take tonight off to catch up on the schoolwork and sleep she has missed as of late. Miss Barbara has requested to stay updated on current happenings but stated that she will defer to us as to when she should visit as to not overwhelm Master Timothy. She also stated that the Birds of Prey will be able to handle Gotham for the night so that everyone here may take a much needed break.”

Babs would listen to Cass if she said that Tim needed more time, she knew. That easy trust in her teammates was one of the reasons Cass respected the first Batgirl. Steph was a bit more unpredictable and brazen, and after a few days of being told no she might get impatient and not listen, but that was an issue for later. For now, everyone in the family was accounted for and would not be bothering Tim tonight. That’s all that mattered for now.

“Dick and Dami are going to watch movies,” Cass informed Alfred, knowing the butler would pick up on the intention behind that decision.

“A nice, calming activity for a relaxing night in,” Alfred nodded sagely. “I’ll ensure that the pair are stocked with appropriate snacks once I am finished with preparations for Master Timothy’s return. The chicken noodle soup is prepared and shall be easy to reheat when needed, but I still must make up the bed in the selected guest room now that the sheets have been washed. Master Jason gave the insight that Master Timothy might not appreciate staying in his old room currently, so I’ve gone about preparing another for him at the far end of the hall. If you are now simply left waiting for Masters Timothy and Bruce to return you could accompany me, and then we could head down to the Cave together?”

Cass nods in agreement, both at the overall plan for Tim and at the option of shadowing Alfred rather than just waiting around by herself or joining in the movie night only to have to escape without notice later. So Cass trails after Alfred to the laundry room, and then up to the bedroom that was chosen for Tim. It’s technically still in the family wing, but is separated from the other occupied rooms to give Tim a degree of separation. Good choice.

Cass wanders around the space after Alfred waves off her assistance with the sheets. The room is clearly freshly cleaned from top to bottom despite the fact that it can’t have been all that dirty to start with. The mirror in the en-suite bathroom is spotless, the floors all vacuumed. Cass pauses a moment to look out a window at the almost entirely darkened sky. The windows are all heavily locked, alarmed, and reinforced. There are no trees bordering this side of the house. This room might have been chosen for more than one reason, then.

Just as Alfred has finished tucking the sheets and placing pillows to his satisfaction, both his and Cass’s phones let out a familiar chime. Cass fishes hers out of her pocket to read the message from Bruce.

_ Back in 10 _ .

So then Cass and Alfred moved down to the Cave together, the pair of them a much more restrained greeting party than would have been expected otherwise. They both wait silently a few feet away from the zeta platform as it whirs to life. Tim appears a few seconds ahead of Bruce, both men rather subdued. 

Tim’s bandages are all freshly changed, Cass notices quickly, and some of the  _ fear-pain _ he had obviously been feeling when he woke up has been dulled, replaced by a bone-deep  _ nervous-distrust-tired _ . He steps off of the platform warily, as if expecting some sort of trick despite being privy to the plan to ensure him some privacy. He is extremely tense even with the exhaustion, and Bruce is practically radiating his  _ regret-frustration _ in response. Bruce hadn’t made anything worse, but he hadn’t managed to make any progress either.

Alfred obviously notices the tension in Tim’s body, as when he steps forward to meet the returning pair he does so slowly, projecting his movements and leaving a healthy distance between himself and Tim. Tim eyes Alfred warily, but doesn’t immediately fall into fear or anger. The green stays below the surface. Cass was correct in thinking that Alfred would fall into the same “tentatively safe” category as her and Bruce.

“Welcome back Master Bruce, Master Timothy,” Alfred greets warmly.  _ Protective-care-safe _ . He studies Tim in particular, as if deciding what to say. Tim, meanwhile, is pointedly  _ not _ looking directly at Alfred, his gaze tilted just slightly down and to the side. After a moment of pause, Alfred apparently decides not to even attempt approaching any of the lingering topics hanging over them, simply settling on, “Would either of you like some soup before bed, seeing as you’ve both missed dinner, or shall I store it away for tomorrow?”

Everyone immediately looks to Tim to make a decision, even as the boy’s head snaps up to stare at Alfred rather incredulously. He’s  _ confused-nervous _ , Cass notes. He had expected some form of punishment or anger, or to be pressed for answers right away. He’s startled to have been addressed directly and with warmth, to the point that he’s untrusting of the offer. Tim steadily slipped towards  _ thinking-nervous-unsure  _ as he then struggles to try and figure out what they  _ want _ him to say. Like there’s some sort of wrong answer here. His eyes tinge ever so slightly more green and hold there.

After a few seconds of awkward silence as Tim internally panics, Bruce decides to just speak first. “I’m pretty tired Alfie, so I think I’d rather just get some sleep for now,” he looks down slightly at his son, “Tim?”

“Yeah, I’m tired,” Tim agrees quickly. It’s just a bit too fast to be read as an entirely genuine decision. But it  _ is _ clear enough that he’s barely holding himself up at this point, and no one is willing to push him to actually think through his answer at the moment, so it’s accepted as is.

“In that case, let’s head back up. I have a couple things to attend to still, but Miss Cassandra can show you where your room is, Master Timothy. I trust Master Bruce can find his way by himself.”

As Bruce agrees, a tad chagrined at Alfred’s obvious distaste for his self preservation abilities, Cass finally steps forward to stand closer to Tim. He jumps at first, apparently not having noticed Cass’ presence at all previously, but then to her delight he actually relaxes a bit. Apparently their time alone together previously, combined with the fact that she had kept all the others from swarming as promised, was enough to earn a bit more trust. A sort of tentative ally status. It was all the validation Cass needed to know that her careful planning and respect, even guard, of Tim’s boundaries was working.

“Let’s go?” she asks him quietly.

“Um… yeah,” Tim says a bit shakily. He stubbornly straightens his shoulders as if that might hide how unsure and overall awful he feels. “Yeah, let’s go up now.”

They all end up waiting for Bruce to change out of the Batsuit and into some sweats and a t-shirt anyways, and then they all head up together in a sort of procession. Alfred splits off quickly towards the kitchen, likely planning to store away the soup and distract Dick and Damian with snacks. 

The rest of them head upstairs towards the family wing, Bruce in the lead and Cass sticking relatively close to Tim’s side. They are all hypervigilant as they move through the halls, but none of the rest of the family makes an appearance by the time Bruce is pausing in front of his bedroom door. He studies Tim and Cass for a moment, debating with himself as he has for the past day. Bruce is so desperate to not mess up with Tim the way he did at first with Jason, trying to make it clear that nothing is his fault and he's still part of the family, but his attempts at openness are being limited by his general emotional limits and fear of seeming too out of character. Tim had to _believe_ it was genuine, or it was pointless. This left their father, all of them really, with a fine line to walk.

“Will you be alright for tonight?” Bruce blurts out suddenly. “You could stay in my room for the night if you wanted to, Tim.”

“No,” Tim immediately balks at the suggestion, eyes flashing ever so slightly greener. “I’m alright, thanks.” He freezes for a moment afterwards as if waiting for rebuke, but Bruce only nods, only slightly displaying his disappointment at not being able to keep Tim close without spooking him. It was hidden enough that Tim probably wouldn’t notice, though.

“Alright, then. You know where to find me or Alfred if there’s a problem. Goodnight Tim, Cass.”

“Goodnight Bruce,” Cass echoes back. Tim says nothing, just watches the door close with surprised, assessing eyes. Then he turns to Cass.

“What now, sis?” he asks, and while the casual use of the familial term would usually warm her, the tone with which Tim said it was off. As if he said the word, but really meant something else. But Cass was too inexperienced at reading vocal cues to decipher exactly what was hidden there, and his body language was likewise unhelpful, simply continuing to convey the  _ tired-resigned-wary _ he had been since starting up the stairs to the Manor.

“Bed,” she told him, consciously restraining herself from reaching to touch him as she led the way further down the hallway towards the only open door.

Tim studied the recently prepared guest room intensely as they entered, stepping forward silently to walk along the walls and study the reinforced windows. His eyes caught on the places Cass knew the few cameras and audio bugs were hidden. His face stayed blank, body language not changing, but Cass figured he was upset. She wondered if Tim would believe her if she told him that the devices were the same emergency access only ones that could be found in all of the bedrooms. He didn’t ask.

After a few minutes of his pacing, including a brief glance through the bathroom amenities, Tim came to a stop by sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at Cass silently. Cass was struck again with the realization of how young Tim still was, barely eighteen years old, eternally small-framed. The slightly overlarge clothes the way exhaustion pulled slightly on his frame made him look all the younger. It made the cuttingly intelligent, wary edge to his tinted eyes all the more unsettling. 

“Need to wash?” she asked him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Tim only shook his head slightly, still watching her nervously. Curiously. Waiting for something, to see what she would do next.

Tim needed sleep, she knew intrinsically. He was about five minutes away from passing out one way or another. His body was still healing from the previous day’s events. But he was still so tense, his gaze flickering between her and the hidden cameras and the slightly cracked door. He wasn’t relaxing like he should be. He didn’t feel safe here like he once did.

“Should I stay?” Cass decided to offer, mostly expecting to be rejected as quickly as Bruce’s suggestion had been. But Tim’s eyes only sharpened with uncertainty and curiosity, gaze settling firmly on her once again.

“Why?” he asked her, and the seriousness of that question made Cass pause and consider her wording before answering.

“I can watch, protect from others while you sleep,” she explained, letting the tentative hope bloom in her chest. “Trust me?”

The question hung in the air silently for a moment. Then Tim let out an incredulous huff of air and all at once flopped bonelessly backwards.

“Fine,” Tim agreed even as he somehow twisted his body to lay on the center of the bed. He pointedly stayed on top of the comforter and only pulled a single blanket from the foot of the bed over himself as he settled on his side, facing the door. His eyes stayed open. Cass cautiously moved into position closer to where Tim lay, tugging a chair slightly out of its original place before sitting there to observe.

“Goodnight, Tim,” she told her brother, rejoicing internally at the opportunity to say the words despite the circumstances against them. Tim didn’t comment, but the way he let his eyes slip shut was telling enough.

It took a few minutes of rapt silence, but slowly Cass observed the tension draining out of Tim’s limbs as his breathing eased. Tim slipped into an uneasy but nonetheless satisfying to witness sleep, and Cass settled in for the next couple of hours of guarding.

Sleep could be made up later, when Tim had more energy back and didn’t need her. Right now his needs trumped hers. Cass was just glad that Tim was giving her the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don't deserve Cass <3\. What do you guys think of me switching up the POV's a bit more in this story? I like to think it adds some interesting depth to see how different people are reacting and interacting from their perspectives. It's still going to mainly circle around Tim's POV, but I wanted to throw in some of the other Batfam characters to explore how everyone is affected. 
> 
> Next time: Jason has some decisions to make.
> 
> See ya next time I manage to dig my way out of the homework pile! (Why did I want to be an engineer again?)

**Author's Note:**

> … and just like that, the story continues! Welcome back to Lazarus!Tim everyone, what did you think? Comments and Kudos are *always* appreciated and will fuel the writing demons to get the remaining chapters done faster. 
> 
> The initial outline promises at least 10 chapters to be had, but knowing how things go at least some of those will probably mutate into egregious lengths that have to be split up, so we shall see! I don’t know exactly how often I’ll be updating, especially not with school once again on the horizon, but I’ll do my best to chip away at things as fast as I can. I am very excited to get to work on this ‘verse again. Until next time my lovely readers! <3


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